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USA Today
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Trump ends Saudi Arabia visit with familiar tune playing, here's why it's turning heads
Trump ends Saudi Arabia visit with familiar tune playing, here's why it's turning heads Show Caption Hide Caption Donald Trump closes Saudi investment forum with 'YMCA' Donald Trump ended his speech in Saudi Arabia with "YMCA," a song associated with the LGBTQ+ community, in a country where homosexuality is illegal. President Donald Trump closed out his time in Saudi Arabia with a familiar tune, though its presence playing in the conservative Gulf nation has raised some eyebrows. As is typical at the end of many of his U.S. campaign rallies, The Village People's 'YMCA' began playing, backdropping a photo opportunity with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president was in the kingdom on May 13 as part of his first foreign trip in his second term, eschewing tradition and traveling to the Middle East instead of Mexico or Canada. It's his second presidential visit to the Middle East, following his 2017 visit which also included a stop in Saudi Arabia. This time he's also traveling to neighboring Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 'Perfecto': Wealthy Gulf rulers bring A-game to Trump charm offensive The song is a well-known LGBTQ+ anthem in the U.S., making its appearance at an official event with top Saudi officials an eyebrow-raising contrast, as the kingdom has effectively outlawed homosexuality and alternative forms of gender expression. Saudi Arabia's judicial system is based on an interpretation of Sharia law, a broad set of laws and precepts that aim to guide or govern the daily lives of Muslim people. In Saudi Arabia, interpretation of sharia can result in penalties for homosexual acts, and Human Rights Watch says police in the country 'routinely arrest people based on their gender expression.' Clips of the pair shaking hands alongside the disco beat are making the rounds on social media. Laura Loomer, a far-right conspiracy theorist with ties to the Trump administration, mentioned the scene in a post on X: 'YMCA in Saudi Arabia. What a timeline we live in.' Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Donald Trump gets the Royal treatment in Riyadh, as he seeks it back home
Walking through the lavish palaces of Riyadh, surrounded by royalty and riches that dwarf his own, and brushing shoulders with a leader who does not have to concern himself with courts and judges, Donald Trump appeared to be living his dream. There were many reasons for Trump to visit Saudi Arabia this week, but for a man who has declared his desire to be both a dictator and a monarch, the chance to experience both up close stood above them all. The royal treatment began before his plane had even touched the ground, when Saudi F-15 fighter jets appeared alongside the president's plane and escorted it as it came into land at King Khalid International Airport. He stepped off the jet to be greeted by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and a line of Saudi dignitaries, walked along an endless lavender carpet watched over by an honor guard with golden swords, onto a motorcade that was escorted by riders on Arabian horses, emerging from his car at the Royal Court to the sound of horns. "I really believe we like each other a lot," Trump said of the prince as they sat on golden chairs at the royal palace. The president was clearly impressed. 'What a great place, what a great place,' he said later at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in front of a giant screen showing U.S. and Saudi flags, where he continued to praise the Crown Prince. 'He's an incredible man. Known him a long time now. There's nobody like him,' Trump said of the man who, just a few years ago, U.S. intelligence agencies blamed for the killing of an American journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. 'We have great partners in the world, but we have none stronger and nobody like the gentleman that's right before me…I like him a lot. I like him too much. That's why we give so much,' he said. Trump's embrace of Saudi Arabia is all the more significant coming after he all but abandoned or sparked disputes with many of America's traditional democratic allies in Europe. The message couldn't be clearer: This administration is not here to lecture about human rights or democracy - it is here to make money. Trump arrived on stage to his usual entry music — Lee Greenwood's 'Proud To Be An American' — which seemed somewhat out of place. He left to his usual exit music, which seemed extremely out of place — The Village People's 'YMCA.' In the evening, Trump was treated to a lavish state dinner in the historic city of Diriyah, just above Riyadh. Trump has tried to build his own version of a royal dynasty back home for years. He bought a faux palace, covered the White House in gold trim, and even made a solid effort at getting rid of democracy altogether. Just before leaving for the Middle East on a tour of oil-rich monarchies, the president announced that he would accept a gift of a plane from Qatar — a $400 million 'palace in the sky' that would eventually replace Air Force One. That was too brazen even for his supporters who stayed with him through the insurrection and the rape trials. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer who wields a Rasputin-like influence over the president, called the acceptance of the gift a 'stain' on the administration. Even Josh Hawley of Missouri, Trump's ride-or-die in the Senate, wasn't keen on the idea. Like the Saudi Royal Family, Trump's own family's financial interests were seemingly intertwined with the state's on this visit. The Trumps have significant pending deals with Saudi companies in real estate and cryptocurrency. Eric Trump, who runs the Trump Organization, recently announced a high-rise Trump hotel in Saudi and a sprawling Trump golf course in Qatar. The president's son-in-law Jared Kushner had previously secured a $2 billion investment from Saudi's sovereign wealth fund, which is overseen by the crown prince himself. While Trump's family did not come with him on this tour, he did bring with him a full royal court of friendly business leaders and CEOs who hope to drum up their own investments and deals along the way. At the top of the list was Elon Musk, a wannabe prince of darkness, who was joined by oil executives, bankers, private military contractors, the chiefs of Coca-Cola and Uber, and American defense contractors from Halliburton, Northrop Grumman and Boeing. Musk used the opportunity to pitch two of his ideas that have largely failed to make a dent in the U.S. — robotaxis and his tunneling company. Trump heads to Qatar next to take a look at his palace in the sky. He will then return home with memories of parades, honor guards, lavish ceremonies and likely a greater hunger for the royal life. That could mean more gold trim at the White House, or fewer judges to get in his way.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MAGA Melts Down Over Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Performance
It was a night of pearl-clutching for many prominent conservatives Sunday night as they objected to yet another hip-hop performance at a major sporting event. This time, it was Kendrick Lamar, who just weeks after winning big at the 2025 Grammys cemented his victory lap by performing a triumphant halftime show at the Super Bowl—anchored by his infamous diss track lampooning fellow rapper Drake. Lamar even seemingly predicted the backlash with the inclusion of acerbic actor Samuel L. Jackson, who introduced the rapper to the crowd and later exclaimed: 'Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?' Many right-wing politicians and pundits were quick to let their disappointment be known as part of a collective MAGA hissy fit over Lamar's performance. Most of the criticism seemed to be over the critics' inability to understand his lyrics. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh described the performance as 'easily the worst halftime show' he had ever seen. 'Halftime show is trash. Nobody can even understand what he's saying,' he added. 'And the vast majority of football fans haven't even heard of most of these songs.' 'The halftime show you just watched is clearly the regime's response to Trump's historic gains with black men,' said disgraced congressman Matt Gaetz. Another former representative, George Santos, was more direct: 'The Super Bowl Halftime show was absolute TRASH!' President Donald Trump didn't appear too interested in the performance either. CNN's Brian Stelter reported that the president left his box at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans about two minutes before Lamar's show ended. Comedian and podcast host Theo Von, who was at Trump's inauguration and did interviews with the president during the 2024 campaign, said the halftime show was 'boring'—while right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk simply said the music was 'not [his] style.' Ben Shapiro, who describes himself on his X profile as 'America's #1 ex-rapper,' said Lamar had 'a beautiful voice and a beautiful accent.' 'The only problem is, I can't understand a word you're saying,' he went on. 'But I just say this: good luck, live in peace.' Michael Knowles, another conservative commentator, tried to offer a more lukewarm take: 'This half-time show is gibberish, but at least it appears to be patriotic.' Colorado representative and MAGA firebrand Lauren Boebert also seemed to struggle with understanding the performance, asking her followers if she was 'the only one needing subtitles for this!!' Right-wing commentators Eric Daugherty and Benny Johnson took their criticism to the extreme, describing the performance as 'Black nationalist' and calling Lamar a 'mumbling pagan Satanic cultist.' Conservatives offered up their own halftime show performance ideas, too. Johnson said 'the halftime show should have been The Village People with President Trump doing the Trump Dance center stage,' while Jack Posobiec posted a video of the band Creed's Super Bowl performance in 2001, saying 'this is what a real halftime show looks like.' Outside of MAGAworld, however, not everyone was so cynical. Ben Stiller said Lamar's performance was 'the best halftime show ever.' Tennis player Coco Gauff said the show was 'well thought-out' and called herself 'a Kendrick fan forever.' Rapper Doechii congratulated Lamar and guest performer SZA: 'So proud of y'all. So inspired.' Lamar performed a medley of his greatest hits, including 'Humble' and 'All The Stars.' The rapper brought out singer SZA to perform their collab 'Luther.' He also performed a long-anticipated rendition of 'Not Like Us,' a diss track targeting his rival, Drake. The cherry on top of the performance was a surprise appearance by tennis star Serena Williams, who reportedly dated Drake at one point. Viewers were similarly divided on a pregame performance by Grammy Award-winning singer Ledisi, who sang 'Lift Every Voice and Sing,' also known as the Black national anthem.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jimmy Kimmel Spots Exact Moment Trump's Own Chief Of Staff Knew He Went Too Far
Jimmy Kimmel said President Donald Trump held a 'doozy of a press conference' this week in which he announced a plan to remove all Palestinians from Gaza and build a real estate development there that the United States would own. 'It's like our country's being run by the maniac from 'Saw',' Kimmel said. 'Donald 'Jigsaw' Trump.' When asked who he envisioned living in Gaza with the Palestinians gone, Trump said 'the world's people.' 'The world's people,' Kimmel repeated. 'Maybe The Village People, I don't know. You can see he's really thought this through. Every idea is worse than the last idea.' Trump said this new development would become 'the Riviera of the Middle East.' Kimmel was ready with a reality check. 'Trump didn't even have success with the Atlantic City of New Jersey, never mind the Riviera of the Middle East,' Kimmel said. He noted that Arab nations have already rejected the plan, and predicted it would 'never' happen. He said Trump's own officials appeared shocked, especially in one image that's gone viral. 'That is the face of a woman whose soul just exited her body at the speed of light,' Kimmel said as he showed a photo of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles seemingly reacting to the announcement: See more in his Wednesday night monologue:
